Creative collaborations always inspire and teach me things, and ones that allow me to employ my graphic design skills in the way of custom logo work are particularly satisfying. It’s rewarding to work with small business owners to take an idea to the next level and do something fun and unexpected. Last year, my go-to hair stylist, Miste Hart, was planning the expansion and relocation of her successful hair salon, Rebel Rebel, to a larger, renovated space in Oceanside. Rebel Rebel is a salon with a distinct rock ‘n’ roll vibe that is playfully mixed with a sophisticated and modern aesthetic evident in the décor and various products for sale, as well as in the hair styling and treatments its customers enjoy. A short time before her move, Miste and I had discussed the possibility of working together on a project that would introduce some custom items to her shop—possibly something custom and for fun. Miste came up with the idea to have me rework the Rebel Rebel logo (just for this project) into one that mimicked the very well-known Iron Maiden logo, with its distinctively geometric slants, sharp corners and bright red letters with thick white outlines. Miste selected the items she wanted the special custom logo treatment to appear on, and this included black t-shirts, tank tops and beverage holders.

Once we finalized the logo and all related details, each custom item was printed in a limited production run and the final products made it to the salon in plenty of time for the grand reopening party. Friends, family and customers alike grabbed up the Iron Maiden-inspired pieces and they were gone not long after the special event. Rebel Rebel is not just a hair salon, but also a unique small business that values community and the celebration art, design and creativity in general.

Business branding is graphic design work that I am trained to do and enjoy working on immensely. Helping a business define or refine their branding is satisfying because a logo is often the first impression a business makes, even before clients/customers delve into its products and/or services. My earliest experience observing a small business at work centers on my parents’ business, Winters Masonry, Inc. My parents, Doug and Padie, started the business over three decades ago when my dad finished his professional training and licensing as a brick mason and masonry contractor, and they have gradually built something rooted in their strengths and skill sets. Every day, they work together to provide custom and commercial services focused on brick, block and stone.

Early on in the business, my mom came up with the letterhead suite. Bricks were a visually appealing way to showcase one of my dad’s specialties: things built out of bricks (e.g., walls and fireplaces). Two rows of red bricks stacked on one another stretched across the business card, etc., with the words “Winters Masonry” floating in a thick black font just above. In recent years, it became evident that the branding could benefit from an update. A skilled graphic designer by that time, I came up with a logo mark that would tie in with the two rows of bricks and become the symbol of the stable business my parents have built over time. A trowel is one of the main tools I associate with the work my dad does. I did many sketches and ended up stacking and adjusting the W and M (i.e., the first letters in “Winters” and “Masonry,” respectively) in such a way that a trowel silhouette appeared within the negative space between the letters. My parents were very happy the new business branding managed to be more contemporary and representative of the business without losing the original visual statement.